The Mandukya Upanishad explains the universal sound AUM.

The Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest of the Upanishads – the scriptures of Hindu Vedanta. It is in prose, consisting of twelve verses expounding the mystic syllable Aum, the three psychological states of waking, dreaming and sleeping, and the transcendent fourth state of illumination.

This Upanishad has been greatly extolled. The Muktikopanishad, which discusses other Upanishads, says that the Mandukya Upanishad alone is enough for salvation. According to Radhakrishnan^[1] it contains the fundamental approach to reality.

Gaudapadacharya was the author of Māṇḍukya Kārikā, a commentary on Mandukya Upanishad. It was written in 8th century CE and is one of the earliest works on Advaita Vedanta.^[2]

About the Upanishad[link]

The name, "Mandukya" may have come about for several reasons:

• Attribution to a sage called Manduka. Manduka means "son of Manduki" and a seer with this metronymic is mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad along with the Mandukeyas, his disciples. The Mandukeyas figure in the Bhagavata Purana as the receivers of a branch of the Rig Veda from Indra. This group of seers also figures in the Rig Veda itself: their hymns are mostly connected with lingustics.^[3] A text on the etymology of Vedas with the name "Manduki Shiksha" deals with the notes of the musical scale.

• Manduka is also a type of yoga – a "particular kind of abstract meditation in which an ascetic sits motionless like a frog".^[4] Mandukasana is one of the asanas (postures) described in yoga.

[edit] Aum in the Mandukya Upanishad

Part of a series on
Hindu scriptures
Vedas
Rigveda · Samaveda Yajurveda · Atharvaveda Divisions Samhita · Brahmana Aranyaka · Upanishads
Vedangas
Shiksha · Chandas Vyakarana · Nirukta Kalpa · Jyotisha
Upanishads
Rig vedic Aitareya Yajur vedic Brihadaranyaka · Isha Taittiriya · Katha Shvetashvatara Sama vedic Chandogya · Kena Atharva vedic Mundaka · Mandukya Prashna
Puranas
Brahma puranas Brahma · Brahmānda Brahmavaivarta Markandeya · Bhavishya Vaishnava puranas Vishnu · Bhagavata Naradeya · Garuda · Padma · Agni Shaiva puranas Shiva · Linga Skanda · Vayu
Itihasa
Ramayana Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita)
Other scriptures
Manu Smriti Artha Shastra · Agama Tantra · Sūtra · Stotra Dharmashastra Divya Prabandha Tevaram Ramcharitmanas Yoga Vasistha
Scripture classification
Śruti · Smriti
Timeline
Hindu texts
v t e

There are three mātrās ("letters", syllabic instants in prosody) in the word aum : ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’. The ‘a’ stands for the state of wakefulness, where we experience externally through our mind and sense organs. The ‘u’ stands for the dream state, in which inward experiences are available. In the state of deep sleep, represented by the sound ‘m’, there is no desire and consciousness is gathered in upon itself.

But there is a fourth, transcendent state, which is "neither inward-turned nor outward-turned consciousness, nor the two together; not an indifferentiated mass of consciousness; neither knowing, nor unknowing; invisible, ineffable, intangible, devoid of characteristics, inconceivable, indefinable, its sole essence being the consciousness of its own Self; the coming to rest of all relative existence; utterly quiet; peaceful; blissful: without a second: this is the Ātman, the Self; this is to be realised."^[5]

Commentary by Gaudapada[link]

The first extant metrical commentary on this Upanishad was written by Gaudapada, before the time of Adi Shankara. This commentary, called the Māndūkya-kārikā, is the earliest known systematic exposition of Advaita Vedanta. When Shankara wrote his commentary on Māndūkya Upanishad he merged the Kārikā of Gaudapada with the Upanishad and wrote a commentary on the Kārikā also. Scholars hold the Karika as well as Shankara's Commentary on it in high esteem.

Gaudapada deals with perception, idealism, causality, truth, and reality. The fourth state (turīya avasthā) corresponds to silence as the other three correspond to AUM. It is the substratum of the other three states. It is referred to as atyanta-shunyata (absolute emptiness).^[6]

In the fourth state of consciousness – turiya – the mind is not simply withdrawn from the objects but becomes one with Brahman. In both deep sleep and transcendental consciousness there is no consciousness of objects but the objective consciousness is present in an unmanifested 'seed' form in deep sleep, while it is transcended in turīya. Specifically, if one identifies the wordless state with turīya and meditates, one realizes the true self and 'there is no return to the sphere of empirical life'.^[7] From the fact that many Buddhist terms are used in explaining the fourth state, such as Śūnyatā or emptiness, it is clear that this commentary was written in an era when the concepts of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā school of Mahayana Buddhism were influential and renowned.^[6]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Eight Upanishads. Vol.2. With the commentary of Sankaracharya, Tr. By Swami Gambhirananda. Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1990.
• V. Krishnamurthy. Essentials of Hinduism. Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi. 1989
• Swami Rama. Enlightenment Without God [commentary on Mandukya Upanishad]. Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, 1982.
• Sri Aurobindo, The Upanishads [1]. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1972.

External links[link]

• GRETIL etext
• Mandukya Upanishad, Full etext from wikisource (Sanskrit).^{[dead link]}
• www.hinduwebsite.com, The Mandukya Upanishad English Translation
• Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada Karika
• [2], Musical version of Mandukya Upanishad Composed by Pandit Jasraj.

See also[link]

• Adi Shri Gauḍapādāchārya
• Adi Shri Shankaracharya
• Advaita
• Shri Gaudapadacharya Mutt
• Shri Govinda Bhagavatpadacharya

This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (July 2011)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

Swāmī Rāma (1925–1996) was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar,^[1] to a northern Indian Brahmin family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas. From an early age he was raised in the Himalayas by his master Bengali Baba and, under the guidance of his master, traveled from temple to temple and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham (also Karveer Peeth or Karweer Peeth) in South India. After returning to his master in 1952 and practising further for many years in the Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West, where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching, specifically in the United States and Europe.^[2]

He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he allowed himself to be examined by scientists at the Menninger Clinic who studied his ability to voluntarily control bodily processes (such as heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.) that are normally considered to be non-voluntary (autonomic).

First ashram[link]

After leaving the post of Shankaracharya and going back to the master, he afterwards travelled to Nepal in the Himalayas barefoot with nothing but a kamandalu and tiger mat. It was here he created his first ashram. It is at the outskirts of Kathmandu on the way to Dulikhel on the mountain of Janagal. He later granted it to Swami Vishuddha Dev. The ashram is known as Hansada Yoga Ashram. Now it is the headquarters of the Characterlogy movement. However, other programs are also conducted there.^[3]

Organization and achievements[link]

He was the founder of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, which has its headquarters in Honesdale, PA, and branches in the USA, Europe, and India. Swami Rama also founded other teaching and service organizations, some of which are linked below. One of his significant achievements is the establishment of a large medical facility in the northeastern part of India (Dehradun) to serve millions of poor people in the nearby mountains. Until about 15 years ago the rural poor in this region did not have access to health care, water, sanitation, and education. Dedicated disciples of Swami Rama have contributed to make his dream of a region free of poverty come true. Stories of his leadership style and the way he achieved his goals are documented in several books about Swami Rama.^[4]

Swami Rama demonstrated the impact of holistic health approaches on the Dehradun campus. On that campus he also established a medical university with his most senior disciple Swami Veda Bharati (holding a Ph.D. from somewhere in The Netherlands)^[5] being the Chancellor, Vijay Dhasmana as the Vice-Chancellor, and one of his most development-oriented disciples—Ms. B. Maithili (Director of the Rural Development Institute)—as the Registrar.

Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as Enlightenment Without God and Living with the Himalayan Masters is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.

Selected bibliography[link]

Books by Swami Rama

• Enlightenment Without God (Mandukya Upanishad) (ISBN 0893890847)
• Living with the Himalayan Masters (ISBN 0893891568)
• The Science of Breath: A Practical Guide (ISBN 089389057X)
• Meditation and its Practice (ISBN 0893891533)
• Freedom from the Bondage of Karma (ISBN 0893890316)
• Spiritual Journey
• "Yoga & Psychotherapy " (ISBN 13:9780893890360)
• " Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita" (ISBN 0893890901)
• "Sukhamani Sahib:Fountain of Eternal Joy " (ISBN 089389110X )
• " Book of Wisdom :ISHOPANISHAD " (ISBN 0893890030)
• "Wisdom of the ancient sages : Mundaka Upanishad (ISBN 0893891207)
• " The art of Joyful Living " (ISBN 089389236X)
• " The Royal path :Practical lessons on Yoga "(ISBN 0893891525)
• " Path of Fire and Light volume 2 " (ISBN 0893891126)
• " A Practical Guide to Holistic Health " (ISBN 0893891746)
• " Japji : Meditation in Sikhism " (ISBN 089389107X)
• "Spirituality Transformation within & without " (ISBN 0893891509)
• "Life Here and Hereafter (Kathopanishad) " (ISBN 0893890022)
• "Choosing a Path " (ISBN 0893890774 )
• "Love and family Life "(ISBN 0893891339)
• " Valmiki Ramayana Retold in verse vols I and II "
• "Love Whispers " (ISBN 0893891789)
• "Celestial Song / GoBind Geet " (ISBN 0893891037)
• "Path of Fire and Light volume 1 " (ISBN 0893890979)
• "Sacred Journey " (ISBN 8176210900)
• "Sadhana :The Essence of Spiritual Life " (ISBN 8176210943)
• "OM :The Eternal witness " (ISBN 9788188157433)
• "Exercises for Joints & Glands " (ISBN 10:0893890839)
• "Conscious Living " (ISBN 8188157031)

Biographies

• At the Eleventh Hour: The Biography of Swami Rama, by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893892122)
• Walking with a Himalayan Master: An American's Odyssey, by Justin O'Brien (ISBN 0936663197)
• "At the feet of a Himalayan Master :Remembering Swami Rama vol 1 by Dr Prakash Keshaviah "(ISBN 9788188157624)
• "At the feet of a Himalayan Master :Remembering Swami Rama vol 2 by Dr Prakash "(ISBN 9788188157662)
• "A Multi Splendoured Sage :His holiness Dr Swami Rama of the Himalayas by K S Duggal "
• " Swami Rama of the Himalayas :His Life & Mission by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893891495)
• "Swami : by Doug Boyd "(ISBN 0893891428)

Other works

• Science Year: The World Book Science Annual—1974, describing scientific research done on Swami Rama
• Nature Science Annual, pages 103–110, Article of Gerald Jones, describing scientific research done on Swami Rama

—

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.rickross.com/reference/swami_rama/swami_rama2.html
2. ^ Tigunait, Rajmani (2004). At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama. Himalayan Institute Press; Honesdale PA.
3. ^ Rama,Swami: Living with the Himalayan masters and hansada yoga ashram.
4. ^ www.hihtindia.org
5. ^ www.bindu.org and www.swamiveda.org

External links[link]

• Swami rama articles
• Biographical work by alleged son
• Himalayan International Institute
• Himalayan Institute Hospital founded in India by Swami Rama
• Swami Rama Center at the Himalayan Institute Hospital in India
• Interview with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
• Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International
• Swami Veda Bharati, disciple of Swami Rama
• Hansada Yoga Ashram
• Himalayan Yoga Tradition in Australia